Arthur Jones: Best friend flies to Crete to help search for missing Denbigh man

Roger Snaith is part of a group of six ex-soldiers and current firefighters who jetted out on Tuesday to help find the 73-year-old

Arthur Jones with his best friend Roger Snaith who has flown out to Crete to try and find him.

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The best friend of a missing pensioner has flown out to Crete to help try and find him.

Roger Snaith is one of six ex-soldiers and current firefighters from Denbigh who jetted out on Tuesday in a bid to trace 73-year-old Arthur Jones.

The team, which will also include several ex-pats based on the Mediterranean island, have been sent over using cash raised by kind-hearted locals – who amassed more than £20,000 in just two weeks to support the search.

It consists former Royal Welsh Fusiliers Roger, 45, who is leading the group, and Dave Price, 33, as well as retained firefighters Kevin Roberts, Matthew Macdonald and Stuart Seaberg, all 39, and 21-year-old Haydn Wilson who will be the driver during the trip.

Meanwhile, back home his son Jeff is calling for Prime Minister David Cameron to act on his pledge to do “everything” he can to help ensure his dad is found.

Retired scaffolder Arthur has not been seen since Thursday June 19, two days after he arrived in the resort of Chania.

The search for the father-of-four was narrowed down following the advice of a team from North Wales Police who spent nearly a week at the resort and now includes a vast area of wasteland at the back of his hotel, the Pardalakis apartments.

His son Jeff, who returned from Crete last week after nearly a month of searching for his dad, is “overwhelmed” by the support shown by the team from Denbigh and the efforts they’re prepared to go to support the family.

“I don't think there is any words which would do it justice to say how grateful we are to them”, he said.

“The team have gone over to search areas as advised by North Wales Police. We've been able to send them using money raised by the Arthur Bootsie Fund.

“Roger is my dad’s best friend and walking partner. My dad helped train him up before he went into service.

“In the last 15 years they've become very close and go out walking three or four times a month. He's leading the search.

“The team also includes my best friends and a couple of lads who wanted to help. Through social media we have got to know ex-pats who are in that area of Crete and are also going to take part, so we’re hoping there will be about 15 in total involved.”

A group of fundraisers who have also been raising awareness of Arthur’s disappearance are calling for David Cameron to send a professional search team to Crete and are building pressure by getting supporters to use the hashtag ‘CameronPromised’.

Earlier this month during Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Cameron said: “I will certainly do everything I can to help [Vale of Clwyd MP Chris Ruane] with his constituent and have discussions with the Foreign office about all the consular assistance that is being given and anything else that they can do.”

Jeff said: “I’m very keen to see David Cameron uphold his promise he made in the Commons. We need that extra support and I think my dad deserves it.”

Messages of support to help the search have been sent from around the world with photographs of people holding banners saying ‘#FindArthur’ being sent in from as far away as Hong Kong, Australia, the USA, and Turkey.

And members of the cast of Ripper Street, including Jerome Flynn of hit series Game of Thrones and Pride and Prejudice star Matthew MacFadyen, have also joined the campaign.